Purpose of mission

This past Monday, the 16th we had asked the other senior couples in the Lima area if they would like to join us for dinner at the restaurant La Bisteca. To suit most everyones schedule we chose 4:30. When it was time to go we found out that the restaurant is only open from noon til 4 and 8 til midnight. So we walked a couple of blocks down the street and went to Chili's. We were fortunate that the Tylers could join us.
For my birthday sister Tyler gave me a pillow case with the mission logo embroidered on it. She also gave me the following message in a birthday card. "Dear Elder Cleverly, How priveleged we are to work beside such a man as you are: Accountant, consoler, good husband, father, grandfather, and surrogate grandfather (to many including the Tyler children), missionary and office manager. More importantly - Our eternal "Friend". We love you". Actually Karen is the Office Manager.
Then a couple of days later We received an e-mail from sister Elmer. She said, "I wanted to tell you that what you are doing in the office is so important to the mission and to the Tylers and I seriously don't know how we did it without you and Kay for those two years you were not with us. So don't fret if you don't get to go to the provinces, you are doing a GREAT WORK right where you are and the missionaries love you and feel a great security having adults in the office. I am sure you two will go on another mission and you can request proselyting! Maybe we can go together. Now wouldn't that be fun!"
The reason that I bring this up is every missionary wonders why he was called to that particular mission. President Elmer once told me that he called his very best missionaries, those that he could trust and would work their very hardest into the office. I have always felt that if I could just be of service to the president and his wife and to lighten their load and be an example and help to all the missionaries and at the same time free up the four missionaries that are always called to the office, then our mission would have been a success.

P day to Gamarra again

Last week we went to Gamarra and I bought two shirts, of course they didn't fit. So yesterday I was able to take them back as Karen wanted to buy some material to have some blouses and skirts made. They wouldn't give me money for the shirts but only exchange them. The only thing they had in my size was a grey shirt so I gave them to Elder Malale and he got him two white shirts.

I went inside a building and went up a floor and took a picture of elder Cooke (Layton, Ut.), Karen, Elder Malale (Bolivia) and elder Hales (Las Vegas, Nv.)

Looking up the street. Every block is like this looking in any direction.

Looking down the street. Double click on any picture to have it enlarged.

Double click on the picture and you can see suits selling for 100 soles which is just a little over $30 dollars.

Dentist -Flavio Vasquez Larrain

After 14 visits to the dentist and my wallet quite a bit lighter I am all through going over to Miraflores. Flavio is really a good dentist having worked in Florida for nine years. He speaks very good English, though he is Peruvian. He allows us to put pamphlets and the Book of Mormon in his waiting area.

3rd Anniversary

Wednesday the 11th was our anniversary. We went to eat at a very nice restaurant just a couple of blocks from our apartment. We were told it was quite expensive so we had never gone there. They were correct in that it was expensive but the food was excellent. The restaurant is Tratoria.

Whitneys and Andersons

On Monday the Tyler children went home to the United States and at that same time the Andersons arrived from Canada. They are our good friends that we like to do things with. George and Rochie Anderson live around the Toronto area from May to November and in Lima from November to May. True Snowbirds. George is Canadian and Rochie is Peruvian. We have also become good friends with the Whitneys. They are also from Canada, only from the west. They are serving in the South Mission outside of Lima in Caneta but stop by to see us when they come up to their office.

Left to right. George, Rochie, Karen and sister and elder Whitney.

Tyler children going home.

Yesterday the Tyler children and Carolina ate dinner with us. Tonight at about midnight they board a flight for California. Ed and Rebekah will in all likelyhood end up at BYU this January. Melissa will be a Junior at her old high school. She just had a hard time with school and new friends etc. here in Lima. We will miss them but will see them when we go home as Hurricane is between Provo and LA.

Jenny´s birthday

Jenny works for the Area Office and cleans the office of all four missions. Her name is Jenny Bennett. She has an American name but is Peruvian. Pictured here is Elder Cleverly, Elder Hales, Elder Malale, Jenny and Sister Cleverly.

P day to Gamarra and bowling

While we were at Larco Mar and where we bowled.

Just after we finished bowling. L to R. Carolina Leiva, Ed Tyler, Melissa Tyler, Elder Huamani, Elder Cooke, Elder Hales, Rebekah Tyler and Elder Cleverly.

Ed, Carolina, Melissa, Elder Hales, Elder Huamani, Rebekah, Elder Hales and Elder Cooke.To day for our P day we went to Gamarra. We being the Zone leaders, elders Cooke and Huamani, Office elders, Hales and Malalee, the three Tyler children, Edward, Rebekah and Melissa and myself. Karen stayed home because she wanted to clean the house and prepare dinner for them.

Gamarra is quite a unique place. It goes on for blocks and blocks in every direction. There are literally thousands and thousands of shops and thousands of people shopping.

Elers Cooke and Huamani across the street buying a hat. Elder Cooke will be going home this next change. He is from Layton, Ut.

Rebekah and elder Cooke in a shop where several of the elders bought some ties.

A shop across the street where they sell yarn etc.

Melissa and Rebekah had been talking to these two young men that promised to come to church tomorrow.

After visiting at Gamarra we went to another place across from the Water Park. This large 3 story building that sold nothing but shoes. Hundreds and hundreds of shops.

From there we went to Larco Mar and bowled two games. The first game I had the high score of the nine of us with a 122. The second game I was second with 134.

From bowling we went to our place where Karen had dinner prepared for them including strawberry short cake.

50 year Andes Mission reunion

Tonight was the Jubilee celebration of the Andes mission. I was part of the program. President Groberg spoke first about the creation of the South American mission by Melvin J. Ballard. I told of the period from 1956 up to 1978. President Tyler told of the time when he was a young elder in the late 70's. Elder Hooker wrapped things up to today. It was a very spiritual meeting that lasted just over two hours.50 years ago today the Andes mission was created by Harold B. Lee. It became the 4th mission in South America. During his dedicatory prayer Elder Lee said that the coast of the Pacific Ocean would become the most prolific and furtile areas in the church. As you think about it, it is so true today. Chile, Peru, Central America, parts of Mexico, California, Oregon and Washington.

Elder and sister Cleverly, sister and elder Hooker, President Tyler and elder Loli of the area 70.

Elder Cleverly, sister Ruth Ojeda Ballard, President Groberg of the MTC, (the three of us served together in the Andes Mission) and elder Hooker of the seventy. Elder Hookers family was baptized when he was one year old by Elders Boyce and Stevens. This elder Hooker later became the first President of the Piura mission.

Ruth Ojeda Ballard with her three daughters flew from San Diego last night to be here. The daughter on the left played the piano and the two on the right sang a number during the program. They have the most beautiful voices.

Sister Ojeda went to the United States after her mission and worked for the church. She ended up marrying a very fine man and they were married in the Salt Lake temple. They eventually moved to San Diego. About 15 year ago her husband and 15 year old son were killed in an auto accident. She has continued to live in San Diego.

Halloween

While at Larco Mar we saw all of these kids dressed up in their halloween costumes. They were trick or treating the different stores there.

P day at Inka Markets

After visiting the Inka Markets the Slingerlands and us went to Larco Mar and Mangos restaurant to eat. The weather was ideal. Doctor Slingerland is the area doctor for our mission. He took Doctor Drakes place.

We always have fun at the Mangos resturant and Larco Mar.

Sitting and visiting at the Inka Markets. Sister Cleverly, sister and doctor Slingerland and sister and elder Lamb.

Doctor and sister Slingerland, Karen and sister Armstrong. At 11:00 this morning the Armstrongs and their daughter, the Lambs and the Slingerlands came to our apartment. We all walked over to Camino Real and caught a bus to Parque Kennedy. Then we walked to the Inka Markets in Miraflores. The Armstrongs and Slingerlands had never been there.

Construction update

When the people were moving out across the street we were told that the houses would be torn down and a 5 Star Hotel would be built.

Paulo came in the office this past week and said that a Metros was being built there. This is great news for us as we won't have as far to go to the grocery store. Metro is a big grocery store chain here.

As if the construction going on across the street and big dump trucks constantly coming out on Basadre wasn't enough they decided to tear up the entire street. First they stripped all the asphalt off. Now they have torn up the sidewalks on both sides of the street.

It is like walking through a land mine to get to the office and back to our apartment each day.

Sister Tylers birthday

This afternoon at 2:00 p.m. we went to the Presidents house and surprised sister Tyler with the cake they baked last night. Sister Tyler had no idea.

Friday night with Tyler children

The finished product. While the cake was baking we played the card game Golf. Besides Karen and I there was Rebekah, Edward, and Melissa Tyler. Lyndsee Manning, daughter of the South mission president and Carolina Perez, daughter of the North mission president. We had a very fun evening.

Rebekah is getting ready to put frosting on the cake.

In the foreground is Carolina Parez. Her dad is the president of the North mission. She and Ed have been seeing a lot of each other since he arrived. The Parez family is from Uraguay where Ed served his mission.

The Tyler children came to our place last night to bake a cake for their mother for her birtday. Her birthday was the 22nd but the President and sister Tyler were in Cuzco and get back today. We will celebrate her. birthday today. This is Edward that just returned from his mission in Uraguay within the last two weeks.

Always cooking for the missionaries

The families that came down brought us three blocks of cheese and cans of enchalada sauce. Karen immediately cooked for the elders and made enchalads. L to R. Elders Tito , Hales, Martin, Eck, Cooke, Malale, and Harper with sister Cleverly. Sister Elmer aptly dubbed sister Cleverly the Cookie Queen of Peru. She has baked hundreds and hundreds of dozens of cookies for the missionaries. We thank all of those families that have sent chocolate chips, brown sugar and other sundry items to make this possible.